Happy Halloween

A Happy Halloween is having the grandkids come trick or treating.

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Star Trek at Work

Here's Dave Williams, former ETC instructor, who is now a Startrek Fleet Science Officer.  (He forgot his "spock" ears).

I saw these low clouds as I was leaving work at noon today.  They looked like soft pieces of cotton.

The News and the Clouds

As I was driving home I saw two different TV channels broadcasting at the same time, both near HAFB, but far enough from each other that they were not in each other's space.  I wondered if one chose his place because the other channel beat him to the best spot. When I got home and watched the evening news, I found out they were reporting on the F35 Fighters (70 of them) that the base hopes will be assigned here.

 I love looking at clouds and thought these were soft and interesting.

The Snakes are on the Ground

All it took was a windy day or two and most of the seed pods are now on the ground, ready to be shoveled into the garbage can.

First Snow

It's not even November but it snowed during the night.  I grabbed my camera instead of leaving for work on time (7:30 a.m.) and ventured into the backyard, stepping on sodden leaves and crusty snow.

Kitchen - "Well Done"

The kitchen is now officially finished.  We started August 24.  After two months of no sink, stove or dishwasher, I hope to never take these things for granted again. But...I probably will.

Garth

Garth Rohde and his wife, Cathy, have been friends for over 20 years. We built our homes at the same time and our backyards meet, so we would visit often during that time and ever since.  Garth offered to help us with the kitchen remodel and came over today to see the final project.   He's in jeopardy of losing his foot due to complications from diabetes, so he sat on a chair and told us what to do every day.  We couldn't have done it without him, and he agreed!

Aunt Nelda and Wendy

I spent the day with my Aunt Nelda.  She lives in Sugarhouse. We met sweet Wendy at Kneaders for lunch.  My aunt has been one of the most important people in my life, influencing much of  my "growing-up" years. Wendy and I are good friends as well as mom and daughter. We finish each other's sentences and many times find we are doing the same things at the same time - even though we live miles apart.

All By Myself

Since the new kitchen has taller cupboards, I ordered this retro chair/step stool and it came by UPS the other day.  Of course it had to be put together, and I did it all myself with just a screw driver and some patience.  Lots of pieces! It will be used as a bar stool when not in use as a stepping stool.

Sunset

I almost missed this sunset.  I was coming out of a store and hurried in the opposite direction from going home to find some upper ground to take a picture.

Old House Tour

I was invited to tour this old house in Kaysville.  I've driven by many times, so I was excited to take a look. It's on 9 S 200 W. The original portion was built either in 1851 or 1855. I also got to see the old grainery, where the family holds parties in the loft.

Socked In

The clouds were amazing this morning.  So low you could almost touch them, and hiding the mountains.

Snakes in the Trees

We have two wonderful Honey Locust trees in the front yard.  They were planted probably 20 years ago. When they were young, one of the trees looked dead.  So Mike decided to cut it down, even though I felt like it was going to be okay.  It grew back and is now as tall at the other.  The problem is, when it came back, it came back as either a male or female - whichever one grows large seed pods.  So every fall, we have hundreds of these that drop to the ground, and have to be picked up! (From that tree only, of course.)

A Box is a Box

The old adage that kids will have fun playing with something not intended to be a toy is still true today.  Some of the grandkids dropped by last night.  I took the large oven cardboard box outside along with my camera.  For about an hour we all played with that box; dropping from the trees into the box, rolling down the grassy slope with the kids taking turns being inside...what fun! 

Dinner - Fast Food From Home

A lot of meals in the last six weeks have been prepared hastily, and eaten standing up while working on the kitchen between bites. They are ususally cold, quickly prepared in the microwave, or picked up somewhere.  A tomato and avocado sandwich on whole wheat is one of my favorites, and very filling!  I love chocolate soy milk.

My Keen Travelin' Shoes

The word "keen," in the 1950's, was slang for "wonderful, delightful, marvelous.  My Keen shoes are all that and more. They are my most favorite and most comfortable.  I bought my Keens right after I ran the Moab Half-Marathon in 2007. My travelin' shoes have taken me to many places - most recently to the beaches of Oregon.  Because I can throw them in the washing machine, I never worry about where they may take me. They have been in sea water, mud, sand, and lots more "stuff."  I've hiked the slot canyons of Antelope Canyon, trudged to the top of the largest Coral Pink Sand Dune, hiked around Bryce Canyon, tip-toed through California tide pools, and explored Colorado's Mesa Verde. And that's just this past year! Pretty much every photo excursion, near and far, includes my Keens.

Under the Trees

Out in the backyard again...These seed pods are all over a large (big as a tree) backyard bush.
 

I love to see the multiple colors of autumn leaves as they change.

Glowing Light

Sometimes I look out my kitchen window in the evening and I swear the light is glowing. I grab my camera and head outside, as it only lasts a few minutes.  Here's what I saw last night. The wind was blowing hard, but each time it took a breath, I shot a few pics.

My Friend, Renee

My dear friend, Renee Barker and I went to lunch today.  Paradise Bakery in Bountiful is always a good place to eat, plus you get a free cookie. I met Renee years ago when her college-age daughter, Alyssa, was probably about five years old and they moved into the ward.  Later Alyssa was in my SEM classes at Clinton Elementary and so fun to be around, just like her mom.  When our ward split, the Barkers ended up in another ward, but we recently served together in the Stake YW Presidency.  What fun we had at camp!  We were the two instigators for many pranks, including sneaking into the stake camp director's tent and hiding her prized and expensive mattress pad on the roof of the restroom.

My Laptop and Facebook

I do love my laptop.  I like the portability of it. I can take it anywhere in the house, out on the deck... and still be online.  I've enjoyed the social networking of Facebook and that's why I took this picture.  It's been fun to reconnect with old friends and family. But I never thought that fb would be the instrument to bring a couple of old Pen Pals back together again! When I was in the 4th grade, Mrs. Cottle, my favorite teacher of all time, held up an envelope which contained a letter from a girl in Texas, asking for someone to be her pen pal.  I quickly raised my hand and, because her name was "Jane Brown," and mine was Jayna Bryan...my teacher thought we were a match.  That was the beginning of a long friendship across the miles.  We met a couple of times over the years, and I even saw her married in the Salt Lake Temple.  Then, for some reason, we lost touch.  I could not find her anywere, and my letters were returned.  We had not communicated for probably 20 years. A couple of months ago Jane found me on facebook. 

A Saturday Evening

I took a quick evening drive and was struck by the different types of clouds in the sky, depending on which direction I was looking. The picture above is to the east, catching the sunset reflection.  The photo below is looking west. I was standing in the same area for both photos.

Here's Looking at Ewe

I took a drive during my lunch hour and stopped to look at these sheep.  After taking the picture, I noticed the wonderful old barn and antique truck up the hill.

Marvin's Gardens

No, it's not Monolopy.  It's Marvin's garden in South Weber.  I used to work for him in the early morning summer hours, picking blackberries and boysenberries. This chair sits in his front yard, and anyone can stop, put a couple of quarters in the can and and take home the best tomoates in the world.

Drilling for...

Here's proof that I do know how to use a drill.  I'm not very good, but I did put up all the runners in the two tall cabinets by myself.

Kid's Feet

I do love photographing kids feet.  It's always a challenge, since kids are rarely still. 

Rain and Hail and Snow and...

I was surprised to find hail on the deck this morning. The raindrops and hail were fun to see on the lawn chairs.

Oregon Coast

We walked again this morning, seeing the moon, but the beach was empty of any sea life.  I detoured to the agate cove and found some great ones. Our beach house was such a wonderful, peaceful place to stay - I hated to leave. We drove along the Three Capes Scenic Route before heading for the airport.

Beach Walk

This morning we walked about five miles, looking for sand dollars, shells, etc.  Cathy and Anne are in the photo. We walked through the tunnel again and found a few agates, having to watch the tide very closely this morning, as the ocean seemed angry.We ate at Mo's in Lincoln City, then took sunset pictures at Yaquina Bay Lighthouse in Newport.